Cleaning and Dinner
by Symphonic Fantasia
Summary: It's their day off but it seems like Gwen has more work to do when she learns that Bob and Tim haven't cleaned their house in what seems like weeks! She'll have to do to them what she does to Kurt and Joe every morning to get them moving.


**Author's Notes: ****And yet another story I had no idea what to do with. I really needed to get it done and out of the way. I'm not really proud of the ending, but then again, when have I ever been good with endings? I figure I'd post it now since I have work later today and I'll most likely forget by the time I have to rush to leave. So, here you go!  
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**Disclaimer: Yadda yadda. Don't own. You know the drill.  
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"Look at this mess!" Gwen huffed, kicking a pair of underwear away from her. Bob and Tim sheepishly stood in front of her. They knew their room had been far from getting any cleaner the past few days but they had been too busy to do anything about it. Bob needed to care for the animals and the shop and Tim _**had**_ to go exploring the valley. Honestly, Gwen had come in and out of the Starling home to know that enough was enough. She couldn't allow them to live like this any longer. No human being should have to go through with this. "We're cleaning this mess. _**Today**_."

Tims jaw dropped. "What?! I can't! I told Toy that we were going to go exploring today!"

"Well, you're just going to have to miss it." She placed her hands on her hips when Tim opened his mouth to say something. "No 'buts'. You need to clean this place up! I'll help you but we can't get it done on time unless we all work together."

"But... Bob! Tell Gwen that this isn't fair!"

The tall and muscular man switched his weight from one foot to the other. There was the big brother side of him that wanted to tell Gwen that she was being unfair. The other side though, the side that was slightly intimidated yet admired the strong blonde, told him that there really was no way around this. Bob shook his head, giving Tim a sad smile. "Sorry, Tim. She's not budgin' from her decision. We might as well listen to her."

Tim stomped his foot once but decided to listen to the two adults. He showed this by crossing his arms. Gwen chuckled. "Thank you, Tim. I promise that when you're done, you can run off and play. Now-" she clapped her hands together "lets get started! Tim, why don't you start by picking up the clothes and putting them in the hamper? Bob, you can go and clean up the kitchen. You know, putting all the dirty dishes into the sink. I'll help by putting the clean dishes away."

His jaw dropped at the orders. "What?! How come he gets help and I don't?!"

"Tim, he has a lot more to do than you. He needs the help." She grinned at him. "Besides, big boys know how to take care of things on their own. You're not a baby, are you, Tim?"

Hearing this, Tim closed his mouth and looked down at his feet. He seemed to be deep in thought until he looked up at Gwen with a hint of determination in his eyes. "I'm not a baby! I'm a big kid!"

Gwen smiled as Tim went to work on picking up the clothes. Together, her and Bob left the bedroom upstairs and made their way down to the kitchen. There, Gwen "tsk"ed and placed her hands on her hips. There were dirty dishes everywhere and even more dirty clothes down here. There truly were boys living here. She was afraid to see what the living room looked like. Without being told to, Bob walked up to the table and started to pile the dishes up neatly. She walked over to the sink and started the hot water. Letting that fill the sink, she worked on putting what little clean dishes they had inside the cabinets.

"Thanks for coming over and helping, Gwen," Bob said, placing the dirty dishes he had collected into the sink.

"It's not a problem," she responded, finishing up her own task. "Kurt and Joe know how to take care of themselves and if not, Grandpa can whip them into shape. You and Tim are a different story. You guys are practically hopeless."

Bob chuckled, a bit embarrassed by this bent truth. "Well, we can do what we can on our own. We aren't that hopeless."

Gwen pointed a finger at her. "More hopeless than not, Bob. Let's remember that."

He shook his head but the smile never left his lips. When the clean dishes were finally put away and the dirty dishes were now in the sink, he busied himself by washing them. Gwen had helped Tim by gathering the dirty clothes downstairs and bringing them back upstairs to put in the hamper. Bob appreciated her help. With only him and Tim, they would have never gotten the determination to clean the house. With Gwen around, not only did they have the will, but the work would go by much faster. At least Tim wouldn't find a way to run off while they were cleaning and leave him with all the work. Gwen finally came back down the stairs, the hamper in her arms.

"What should I do now, Gwennie?" Tim asked, eager to help if it'll prove that he was a big boy.

Smiling, she set the hamper down when she reached the bottom of the stairs. "Let's see... I know there are a bunch of DVDs in the living room that aren't in cases or are in the wrong ones. Why don't you organize them?"

Tim saluted her and ran off into the other room. Bob chuckled, drying his hands on a towel. "You really know how to get him to do his chores."

Gwen chuckled. "That I do. Hey, can you bring these down to the laundry room? I'm going to check on your closets."

Bob turned pale when she said this. "T...the closets...?"

"Mhm. It'll just be a minute."

He didn't know what to do. Even as Gwen made her way up the stairs, he was panicking more and more. Bob quickly moved to the living room doorway and pushed the door open. "Tim, you might wanna hurry on upstairs."

"What for, big bro?" Tim asked. There were two DVDs in his hands, showing that he was busy working on the task that Gwen had given him.

"Well, Gwen is about to work on the closet, and you know what's there-"

"Ah! Tim! You disgusting little cretin!"

Both of them flinched at the anger in Gwen's voice. "She found the bugs?!" Tim asked, dropping the DVDs.

"Yep... Might want to go and save them." Bob had never seen his brother run so fast before. He ran through the house and up the stairs. It wasn't long before he hear the two of them arguing with one another about the pests living in the closet. Bob was well aware of them living within the house. He never voiced his opinion about them since Tim kept them in tanks and they weren't wandering around the house. So long as it stayed like that, Bob didn't care. Unfortunately, Gwen did. He just hoped that she wouldn't be too harsh on him. He was just a boy after all.

Soon, Tim came down the stairs pouting with a large plastic carry tank in his hands. The various bugs he had collected crawled and twisted inside it. It seemed like Gwen wanted him to let them go. Bobs heart broke for the boy. He was only doing what boys did the best. He knew that Kurt, Joe, and even himself had done it before. If he remembered correctly there were a few times where Gwen would do it too. He supposed the older girls became, the more they came to despise the bugs of the world.

Gwen came down, her face red. She looked irritated. "I can't believe that kid."

Bob gave her a small smile. "He's just a boy. Boys do things like that. Joe did."

"Yeah, and I punched him for it."

He remembered that time. Joe had a broken nose because of that. There was more to it then just collecting bugs. He had stuffed a few of them down her shirt and caused her to cry. She cried only for a few moments before punching him in his face. He always thought it was a little extreme but couldn't stop her in time. "Well, I'm glad you didn't do so to Tim. He's still just a boy."

Huffing, the blonde crossed her arms. "I guess. And there's no way I could hit Tim. He's just a kid."

Grinning, he nodded his head. "Exactly."

It took Gwen a while to realize what he meant. When she did, she sighed heavily. "I get what you're saying... But I was easy on him!"

"I know you were."

She spotted the basket of clothes still nearby. Picking them up, Gwen brought them downstairs herself. The term "if you want something done right, you do it yourself" rang in her head. She knew that Bob was capable, but she really wished he did what she told him to do. More often then not, he did. He just had moments where he spaced out. "Bob! Can you make sure that Tim finishes up the living room?!"

"Ok!"

After that moment, the three worked in a near frenzy. Gwen wanted everything to be clean while Bob and Tim wanted to avoid making her angry. It was dinnertime when they were finished. The two boys relaxed on the couch, relieved to have gotten the work done. Gwen was in the kitchen preparing their meal. They were happy that Gwen was here to cook for them today. Bob wasn't much of a cook and the frozen dinners their mother had prepared had long ago been finished. It was going to feel good to have a fresh delicious meal in their bellies.

Tim yawned, covering his mouth to try and hide it. Bob chuckled. "Looks like you'll be going to bed after dinner."

The boy shook his head. "I'm not sleepy..."

"You sure look sleepy," Gwen agreed, walking into the living room. Bob smiled at her as she sat down on the arm of the couch. "Maybe you should go to bed early."

Tim shook his head again. "No."

The two adults smiled at one another. "Well, if you say so," Gwen mentioned. "Dinner will be ready soon. Try not to fall asleep until then, ok?"

"Ok..."

Gwen patted Bob's arm and he followed her into the kitchen. "Think he'll fall asleep before dinner?" she asked, grinning.

He chuckled. "I'll take you up on that. Only I believe he'll end up falling asleep before dinner, too."

She pouted. "Then why are we betting?"

"Oh no, I said nothing about betting. You said that. Besides, when have I ever bet against you?"

A statement that was the absolute truth. Bob had rarely ever went against her. It happened so rarely that she couldn't even recall a time that he had. He was just as loyal to her as he was to the horses. Gwen smiled at him. "Yeah. I get what you mean, you big lug~." Bob timidly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her close. He took in the smell of hay, horse, and wood. Those were the smells he had associated with Gwen since they were kids. They were just her. Gwen tucked a piece of hair behind her ear before prodding him in the gut with her finger. "I gotta finish dinner, y'know."

"Oh!" Flustered, Bob slowly released her from his embrace. "Right... Sorry..."

He ran his fingers through his hair as she stood up and disappear to prepare the food. There were many times when he would forget that there was a limit to Gwen's physical interaction. She didn't like to be touched much outside of those in her family and Lyla. He didn't know why since when she was a kid, she was always affectionate and hugging anyone who needed it. What had made her change was a mystery to him. Still, the little moments that he could get were appreciated. What more could he ask for?

"Bob! Tim! Dinner's ready!"

The rancher returned to the living room, finding his little brother fast asleep. Bob shook his head and lifted him into his arms. He took small steps out to the other room where he spotted Gwen coming out with a few plates. "It'll just be me and you tonight, I'm afraid," he whispered, not wanting to disturb Tim. Gwen chuckled and moved back to the kitchen to put some dishes away. Bob walked carefully up the stairs. They creaked as he walked up them, his weight being too much for them. He willed himself to take light steps but it still didn't stop. He finally reached the bedroom and switch Tim from his clothes to his Pjs then tucked him safely in bed.

He gave Tim a soft kiss on his forehead and disappear downstairs. Gwen had the table set up for them both. He smiled at her and sat in the chair across from her. "It looks good."

"Thank you~. I worked hard on it," Gwen said, taking in the compliment. They ate quietly at first, enjoying the taste of the food and the company they were with. She leaned back in her seat, letting the portion of the food she devoured to settle in her stomach. "Do you like it?"

Bob nodded, his mouth full of food. He finally swallowed and smiled at her. "It's great. Your cooking is always good."

She smiled at him. "Then I'm glad you liked it." She fingered the rim of her glass, relaxing in the quiet night they were having. She noticed Bob fidget out of the corner of her eye, but she choose to stay quiet about it. Bob fidgeted for many reasons. If it was animal related, he would have told her by now. Any other reason, well, she was scared to find out. She didn't want to ruin the mood with questions about their promise of marriage when they were children. No matter how often she told him that they were kids and that it shouldn't be taken seriously, he still continued to ask about it. He had definitely improved from asking about it weekly to rarely at all. She appreciated it.

The clock chimed above the fireplace. It was time for her to go. Gwen stood up slowly and stretched. "Well, I better go," she muttered.

Bob looked at the clock and sighed. "So soon?"

"Yeah. I do have my own family to feed. Hopefully someone else did. I should be there, though, just in case they didn't." Gwen smiled and walked around the table. She wrapped her arms around Bobs shoulders and held him close for a few moments. "I'll see you another day. Take care, alright?"

He smiled and patted her arm, not taking the risk by wrapping an arm around her waist. "Alright. You too. Good night." Bob stood up and walked her out of the house. He watched her walk away into the night and he didn't leave his porch until he couldn't see her anymore. He would worry about her until he was sure that she had gotten home safely. He hoped that he would get a phone call from her as soon as she got home. If not, he would be stuck staying up all night about it. Bob knew that she was a strong woman, though. He didn't have much to fear.

If only he had a chance to ask her about their marriage promise. He would have to leave it for another day.


End file.
